In the real world, with a family, growing children, autos and maintenance, you have little choice. It’s all made overseas. It’s then imported and assembled here so they can stamp on it “Made in America”.

Funny, I have been thinking of this all day. I will only buy the things I need according to the best VALUE to me. I can only assume up front (without talking specifics) that American made products are automatically overpriced due the the fact that the LABOR is overpriced and that is passed on to the consumers. So, NO, I will not pay union labor wage rates for the products I buy unless the quality and features are worth it to me. Any tie goes to the foreign product because the unions’ modus operandi.

We take exceptional pride in being the *only* totally made-in-the-USA conversion kits available.
[others try to make that claim but their parts come from China or Canada and are *assembled* in the USA...big difference]

Because of that, our materials cost more and our profit margin is very slim.

Plus, we offer automatic discounts to veterans which knocks another 10% off what we we make, per kit.

In the last few years, trikes have become extremely popular and trike kit manufacturers have sprung up selling much cheaper kits mass produced in China and other countries.

...In fact, I might just move to another country and manufacture products to compete with American manufacturers. At least then I can keep some of my earnings!!! This business model sucks. Why do you think American manufacturers need to appeal to nationalism to sell their products?!?! Answer: it sure ain’t the quality!

A few years ago, I needed a new steam iron. I wanted to buy one made in America, but most of them sold today are made in China. I finally got one that was from Germany.

The same goes for toasters. The only one I could find that was not made in China was one from England costing more than $200--ten times more than those from China. So I settled for a damn Chicom toaster.

Union labor, regulations, and high taxes. Who the heck would want to manufacture here? DUH!

Who the heck can afford their product afterwords? A pair of American wool mittens might cost as much as $30 when the same quality mitten from a non-union, non-regulated, lower taxed country would only cost about $5!

Exporting is the key to wealth creation. Think of how many problems would be solved if the world was beating our doors down to buy projects made here with their saved-up USD.

But Tom Friedman is right, the world IS flat and other countries by hook or by crook, can make some stuff cheaper than we can. The solution is to let them, but redeploy our talents to making different things that they can’t. This goes back to the theory of Comparative Advantage first described by David Ricardo in his 1817 book On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, but the theory starts to fall apart when the means of production can be anywhere (as has happened). But the principle still has validity - for example, there is no point in trying to compete against Chinese labor to make a $30 DVD player. Buy the cheap player at Wal-Mart, but generate many times as much wealth by generating the movies and other content that people will buy to play on them. Let the lowest-cost producer make the cheapest hardware, but develop software that runs on it that becomes the standard for the world (just ask Bill Gates).

Everybody is pissy right now, but the answer isn’t as simple as buy American or by foreign. The answer is to understand economics and find ways to adapt and thrive.

MUST be the #1 priority. What good would it do to create more jobs if all the wages are going to be stolen from the working class anyway? Why work hard every day to bring home half (and soon less) of your paycheck because some welfare queen needs another check to support her 7th fatherless kid? When does her "safety net" end? How long will it be before the slaves get to actually keep what they've earned?

Sure. Go shopping. Buy American. Spend, spend, spend. Do it for the good 'ol U.S.S.A.!

American made products are automatically overpriced due the fact that the LABOR is overpriced and that is passed on to the consumers

Only partially correct. American products are overpriced for not one, but three reasons:

1. Labor (as you said), especially union labor.

2. Heavy taxes that drive up production cost.

3. Insane regulations that drive up production cost.

Today, less than 15% of private-sector workers are unionized. So if you blame solely the unions, you are missing something.

Quick story for you. I believe I read it in the Wall St. Journal. A couple of years ago a factory was built in the US. Just as it was starting production, OSHA came in and ordered everything closed down. Why? Because the handrails in the stairs and walkways were an inch too short!

It is when American families are struggling to get by because half their paychecks are lost to some kind of tax or government fee. There was a time when dad could bring home his pay check and comfortably support an entire family with 5 kids. That was before welfare.

Shall I enrich China or union dominated manufacturing in the USA? One is a Communist country, but moving slowly toward democracy & the rule of law, while the other is dominated by organized crime, about one step above the Bloods & Crips, & getting more blatant by the day.

If I enrich the Chinese, will they vote as a block to raise my taxes or take away my freedom & property? They can't do that, can they? When I pay so much more for a US made shirt or underwear, where does all that extra money go - to the worker or the union?

Lately, buy American means buy reparations & redistribution.

I think if I wanted to avoid enriching my enemies I'd have to pick my purchases far more carefully that just by where they are made.

46
posted on 11/09/2012 7:44:39 PM PST
by Mister Da
(The mark of a wise man is not what he knows, but what he knows he doesn't know!)

I will be seriously looking at non UAW cars next time I need one. Almost all the libs I know drive Toyota, Honda, etc. Seems to me like Chevy & Dodge sell more cars in Red America. Then the UAW goes out and endorses socialist candidates. Something is wrong with that.

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